Category Archives: Found 35mm

The Film
Kodak Gold 400, quite possibly the most common colour 35mm film, ever. These negatives look quite faded.

The Images
I’ve always found date stamping on photos to be distracting and annoying. In this case however, it reveals quite a bit. Two major things actually. First, that it’s very likely the images were shot January 24, 2006, just over eight years to the day of this blog. Second, that failure of the camera started with the resetting of the date to January 1st, 1998.
Looks like a married couple and their daughter. Not too many clues in this six images, except that it’s likely they’re from Canada

Update: September 26th, 2014
Thanks to Andrea for correcting that it’s Disneyland not Disneyworld 🙂

The film was exposed and also had some issues during the exposures. perhaps the battery was dying? You can see the back of the camera must have been opened at some point, the last few images are in varying degrees of pre-develop exposure.

The Camera

Samsung AF Zoom 1050 is a bit of a mystery to me. Not a lot of information online.

The Images

Looks like a storm, probably hail. It’s one of my favourites, for some reason. It’s simple, but has a nice composition, and good exposure

A clever happy birthday sign using boxes of Kraft dinner. The healthy choose at that so the photos are probably less than 10 years old. You can almost make the address out 425 [something] Close NW.

Two people exhausted on a boat. They could be a couple but they are wearing the same watch.

Took me a minute why this image was taken, but it looks to be a tiny frog under their cupped hand, so cute!

Update October 14, 2014 Thanks to Michael Brown for this comment: Truck in the picture looks like a GMC Sierra or Chevrolet Silverado. That body style (taillight) was introduced in 2003. Nice dent above the rear wheel would indicate the truck is a little older, maybe picture taken in 2004 or 2005?

A man in the back of a pickup truck with a (presumably full) kid sized pool.

The Camera
The Nikon OneTouch 100 was a 35mm point and shoot camera released in 1987. They are considered rugged, long lasting and very compact for the era. A couple of the interesting features include a timer with two settings, a “focus memory” button, and the battery compartment itself is capable of accepting either 2 AA batteries, or a single CR123A. That may not have made a difference in the late 1980’s, but a CR123A is about $20 now…for one!
The particular one I found, had a broken off, but still included, battery door. The loose connection is the likely cause of the film getting lodged in it, and eventually abandoned. I don’t remember the camera winding this one for me, I’m pretty sure I went into the darkroom and manually pulled the film out, and reeling it back into the canister.

The Film
This roll was found in camera in Alberta. Kodak Gold 200 is, and has been a staple for amateur (and pro) photographers for decades. There is much speculation in recent months that they may be discontinuing 24exp Kodak Gold 200, but I’ll wait till I see something more official than a flickr forum on page one of Google.

The Images
Only five images were snapped before the camera was dropped causing the piece to fall off…at least, that’s my best theory. Three are pics of a family. Mother, father, and three boys, two potentially twins. The other, and first two are likely of their mother/mother-in-law.

I look at the home and my knee jerk reaction is early 1990’s. You can make a leap and assume the residence belongs to grandma. There is an collage of family photos behind her, from left to right there’s a portrait of what looks like eight, mostly kids. The next two are partially covered, then one of two people, one is covered, the other is an older man…probably the older woman sitting in the chair and her husband. After that, more casual shots, another portrait, a father son studio portrait, and a collage of framed photo of the same young man, a couple in grad outfits. Possibly the father on the couch. All of these images look from the 1980’s. I love when there are photos in photos, because they really can help tell more of the story.

Did I mention the dolls?

Beside the couch I noted a simple plastic phone, an aerosol odour eliminator, a tissue box cover shaped like a chair, and a T-120 6 Hour Recordable Cassette Tape…that’s analog Pirate Bay kids.
The sports shirts are generic, nothing to go on, except the potential twins have matching ones with different colours, presumably to tell them apart.

Summary
a fresh roll was placed into the camera for a family visit, and after several photos, the camera was dropped, or the battery died, and the compartment was later damaged.

Speculation
I want to hear what you think happened and who these people are. Why was the film never developed?

The Kodak Star 835AF was produced between 1991 and 1995. It’s an everyday point and shoot with all-auto features…even auto flash! 🙁 At the time, the camera was purchased new for about $100 and they took simple AA batteries.

The Film

The film is Fujicolor Superia 400 as listed on the canister, but they have since added “Xtra” to the title. I double checked the edge marking to be sure it wasn’t another, similar, discontinued film, and it is in fact the Xtra without the title. The negatives themselves were very dark, these images were taken awhile ago.

The Images

The very first image gives away a lot, It’s a hockey rink, and several flags hang in the background, including the Ontario flag on the very left. Then, on the ice, you can see some lettering. Googling the different possibilities with a couple missing letters and taking into account it’s likely a hockey team, the Ottawa Senators comes up.

So we know the film did some travelling because I found the camera & film in Alberta.

Images 7, 8, and 9 show a man and a woman figure skating, and following images reveal it to be a competition of sorts. There are kids and parents present, and the room is decorated for the Christmas season.

These are the people photographed on the rink. At this point it can already be assumed the photographer know one or both of them…..purple and blue skates, cute!

There’s a list of sponsors. The names I can make out are Artwood Office Supplies, Buro Plus, Auto Pro J.C. Auto Service, Figure 8, Gilmore Global Logistics, Kinsmen Club of Manotick, Kiwanis Club of Manotick, CIBC Imperial Service, Lions Club, & Allure Hair Design & Spa. Manotick, by the way, is a suburb in Ontario

There’s a party afterwards, with what looks like some of the competitors and their loved ones. I see a Smirnoff Ice on the table, which didn’t come out until the mid to late 1990’s, and once you realize there isn’t a single cell phone on the table, you know it’s probably still the 90’s, but after 1996. There’s a boom box, and a TV with real bunny ears too if you don’t believe me! This also doubles as a birthday party. It’s the same day as the young woman is in the same outfit.

Last image is below. it’s dark but it could be the birthday boy. He’s carrying luggage, might be off to the airport….to Allllberta perhaps??? Closer inspection reveals it’s probably a Greyhound depot. The reflection in the window shows a pretty small parking lot, two individuals on a bench, with their own luggage, and a blue van on the far end.

We’re lucky to have this extra photo, as it was only a 24 exp film. The gentleman is carrying the bags, but signs indicate it may belong to the photographer, a visitor to this amateur skating competition/birthday. This camera is full auto so right after this image was taken, the roll would have rewound back into the canister. Usually when cameras are abandoned it’s because the batteries died halfway through the roll. In this case, I found the film in camera with the canister already rolled up. We can only assume the photographer put their Kodak in their bag with every intention to develop, but never got the chance to. It’s a small detail but the biggest question mark left for me.

Summary

A Kodak Star 835AF with a full roll of 25 images on a 24 exposure Fujicolor Superia 400. The camera and negatives were found in Alberta in 2013, but the images were shot in Ottawa Ontario, as confirmed by the hockey rinks lettering on the ice, flags hanging from the rafters, and list of sponsors during the award ceremony. Photos most likely taken after 1996, as indicated by a bottle of Smirnoff Ice at the after party/birthday event.